According to You
by RavenNM
Summary: Lucy and Natsu are in a relationship, but after a job goes wrong and Natsu tells her that he regrets being with her, she's not sure if she wants to stay in a relationship with him. Especially when a certain ice mage comes to comfort her and a scheming Mirajane finds out. Who will Lucy choose? Graylu


*** I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, but I love writing about them.**

**** Song and lyrics from **_**According to You**_** by Orianthi**

Today was not a good day. Lucy had gone on a mission with her boyfriend, Natsu, but it hadn't gone well. All they had to do was guard a woman and her home from some bandits. The bandits came, the two had defeated the bandits, the woman was safe, and the house… was now a pile of rubble. Because of the destruction of her home, the client refused to pay them at all. This was bad for her, it meant that she had to take another job in the next week or else she wouldn't make her rent. She was grumbling the entire way back to the guild. If Natsu had just listened to her plan, they could have caught the bandits without destroying anything. What's worse is that he didn't seem to care at all; he even seemed to be blaming her for the mission going bad.

By the time they got back to the guild, Lucy didn't even want to talk to him. She just sat at the bar and ordered a hot chai tea, hoping it would help to calm her nerves. He sat down next to her a moment later. When he reached for her hand and she pulled away, he got mad at her.

"I don't see why you're so upset, Luce," he said in a peevish voice. "We'll take another job and get your rent paid."

She let out a huff. "We wouldn't need to take another job if you hadn't destroyed the house. Why can't you listen to my ideas, just once? Then maybe you wouldn't be going overboard all the time."

"Because they're stupid and my ideas are fun," he said, his voice rising and catching the attention of other guild members.

She noticed the attention they were getting and tried to keep her voice down. "It might be fun for you, but it causes trouble for me since I'm the one who has to clean up the messes you make.

Natsu didn't seem to notice of care as he started yelling at her. "I wouldn't have to go 'overboard' all the time if you weren't so boring! Missions are supposed to be fun and you make them hard. If I'd known you were going to be like this, I never would have asked you to be my partner or my girlfriend!"

The entire guild lost air as everyone inside gasped. Lucy felt tears build up behind her eyes from his cruel words. She heard other peoples surprised and angry whispers around her but she barely heard them. Natsu's words were echoing in her ears until they were the only thing she could think of. She saw him realize what he said a few seconds after the words left his mouth. His eyes went wide and his face contorted with guilt. "Luce…"

He reached for her and she jumped off of her seat and out of his reach. Before he could try to touch her again, she ran out of the guild. Tears were flowing down her cheeks as she ran to her apartment. As soon as she was inside, she locked her front door and her windows. If Natsu tried to come over, he could stay outside all night for all she cared. Her tears gained speed as she collapsed on her bed and sobbed into her pillow.

_How could he say something like that to me? We've never had a fight like this before. How are we going to get past this? It's not like I can forget what he said. I don't care if it was in the heat of the moment, he should never talk to his girlfriend like that! Unless… unless he doesn't want me to be his girlfriend anymore…_

She wasn't sure how long she'd been crying; long enough that her tears had dried up and she had to get some water because she was dehydrated. Lucy was surprised that Natsu hadn't come to see her yet, that made her feel even more depressed. Eventually, she grabbed the half-full carton of chocolate ice cream from the freezer and a spoon. She decided not to bother with a bowl; she just sat on the couch and started shoveling spoon-full after spoon-full into her mouth.

Another few minutes later, someone knocked on her door. "Go away," she hollered at whoever was on the other side. She didn't want to see anyone and didn't want anyone to see what a mess she was. Her hair had to be a mess and she knew that her eyes must be red and puffy from crying. When the person at the door knocked again, she groaned in annoyance. "I'm not opening that door, so leave me alone!"

It was quiet for a moment; then, to her surprise, the lock clicked and the door opened to reveal Gray on the other side. _Of course, he wouldn't need me to open the door for him. He just needed to make a key to my door, and since I had him do it before when I locked myself out, he probably remembers the shape._

"GET OUT!" She yelled as she chucked a pillow at his head. He easily caught it as he stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

Gray didn't say anything as he sat down on the couch next to her. What he did do was grab her ice cream and spoon from her hand and spooned some ice cream into his mouth. Then he scooped out some more and offered it to her. Lucy hesitated, the idea of him feeding her was a little to intimate. So she grabbed the spoon from his hand and took her bite of ice cream. After pulling the spoon from her mouth, he took it from her and scooped out some more for ice cream for himself. They went back and forth like that until they had scrapped all the ice cream from the bottom of the carton. It was only then that he got up off the couch to throw the empty carton away and put the spoon in the sink.

"What are you doing here, Gray?" She asked him while he was still in the kitchen. The question came out a bit harsher than she intended, but she couldn't help it. She and Gray had been friends since she had joined the guild, but they had been drifting apart for a while now. This was actually the first time he had been over to her apartment in months.

He leaned his shoulder against the door frame and crossed his arms over her bare chest; he'd stripped his shirt off while he was in the kitchen. "It was obvious that what that flaming-idiot said upset you a lot. Erza, Mira and the other girls decided to give him a piece of their minds, and I'm pretty sure their fists, so I knew they would be a while before they came to see you. I just thought that you might want someone around to talk to."

Lucy couldn't help but look at the floor. She's been so rude to her friend when he was just trying to comfort her. "Is he right?" She asked in a quiet voice.

"About what?" Gray asked as he sat down next to her again.

"Am I boring with stupid ideas that just make things more difficult?" There was a hitch in her voice as she said it. She knew that she shouldn't let Natsu's words get to her; but deep down, she couldn't help but wonder if it was true.

Gray was quiet for a minute and that made her nervous. What if he agreed with Natsu? If he did, nothing would stop her from crying again. She would probably give Juvia a run for her money.

"Look at me, Lucy," he told her in a serious tone. When she did, she wanted to look away again because his gaze was so intense. "Don't you dare put any stock into what he said. I've never known you to boring; I can say, without a doubt, that my life is definitely more interesting since you joined Fairy Tail. Second, Natsu is the stupid one, not you. Hell, during that S-class exam, Loke and I decided to follow you and Cana because we knew that _you_ were the one most likely to figure out the master's riddle."

She glared at him. "You cheaters."

The corner of his mouth quirked up as he shrugged.

There was a knock at her window; neither she nor the ice mage had to wonder who it might be. "Go away, Natsu," Lucy called out as she walked to the front door to lock it again. She doubted that he would think to use it, but she didn't want to take the chance right then.

"I'm sorry, Luce! Please let me in," they heard the fire dragon slayer plead.

"No, I do not want to see or talk to you for the rest of the day." She felt her eyes begin to tear up again but forced them down.

"But you let ice-breath in and I'm your boyfriend! It should be him you kick out," he complained.

"_Gray_ gets to stay because he's not the one who made me cry," she said, putting emphasis on his name. "_You_ will leave me alone and think about what you said and how much that hurt me."

"Stop being stupid and difficult, Lucy! I'm not leaving, so just open the window and kick him out!"

Gray saw a dark aura surround the blonde and knew that the flaming-idiot had screwed up. _Is he really so stupid that he would say that to a woman who was already upset with him? Sorry buddy, but you deserve whatever's coming to you now._ He watched her walk to the kitchen without saying a word and then he heard the water running. A second later, she came walking out carrying a bucket of water. He couldn't help but grin, knowing he was about to get a show.

She set the bucket down in front of the window and then pulled back the curtain. Natsu was glaring at the lock but then his eyes turned puppy-doggish when he saw Lucy. She scowled at him for a long time. "Leave me alone, Natsu. I will talk to you tomorrow at the guild."

The glare returned to his face. "Unlock the window or I will break it open."

They continued their staring contest for another minute, Gray swore that he could see sparks form between them. Then she reached up to flick the lock. The fire dragon slayer grinned triumphantly as he opened the window, not noticing that his girlfriend had picked up a bucket of water until it was too late. The water was thrown in his face before he could even get inside. This caught him by surprise and made him fall back out the window and onto the street below. Gray didn't see him land, but knew it wasn't a good one due to his cursing.

Lucy stuck her head out the window. "Consider that your final warning. If you come back, I will summon Aquarius and Loke and tell them what you said." She shut her window and locked it again. When she turned around, Gray was shaking with laughter on the couch.

"That right there, that proves him wrong again," he said as he smiled at her. "I'm never going to forget him falling out your window after getting a face full of water."

She gave him a weak smile as she sat down next to him again. "Maybe I should have just let him in so we could talk."

"If you really wanted to do that, you would have. Right now, you want him to leave you alone and he should respect that. He was being an asshole and deserved a bucket of water to the face," he told her.

"But what if he decides that he wants to leave me alone for good because of that?" She asked, tears building up yet again. "He already basically said that he regrets being my boyfriend and my teammate. I don't know if can get past that."

Gray went quiet again. When Lucy looked at him, she couldn't quite figure out his expression. It almost looked pained. "If you love him, then you should fight for him and try to talk it out. If you can't get past what he said, then it might be best to let him go and try to salvage the friendship you had before. But if it helps, I know that flam… Natsu has never regretted having you in his life. He cares about you a lot."

"But not like a girlfriend, only like a best friend," she said matter-of-factly. "He doesn't love me. If he did, he would never have even thought of saying those things to me."

"I doubt if anyone can really know what's going on in his head…"

"Can't you just tell me how stupid he is?" She interrupted him.

He chuckled. "Your boyfriend is an idiot who doesn't realize how lucky he is to have you. He screws up and tries to play it off or blame it on you, but no one's buying it. You are smart, beautiful, funny, kind, and do not deserve the things he said. He doesn't appreciate you enough and it will be difficult for me not to punch him in the face if he talks to you like that again. Not that you really need anyone to stick up for you, since you can take care of yourself, so don't let him try to convince you that you can't either."

Lucy felt herself blush as she laughed. Gray wasn't always the best at talking to others, but there were moments where he could be really sweet. Hell, before she had started dating Natsu, she'd had a crush on the ice mage and she thought he liked her back. But with Juvia around and the feelings she'd had for Natsu at the time, nothing had ever come of it. Now that she was questioning her relationship with the fire dragon slayer and he was here comforting her, those old feelings were resurfacing. She knew that she had to ignore those feelings for now; she was upset and couldn't trust them at the moment.

Before she could say anything, there were multiple knocks at her front door along with voices calling for her to open up. She couldn't help but sigh. _The circle of female friends has come to invade and comfort._

"I'm going to get out of here so you can have some girl time," Gray said as he got off the couch.

She nodded. "Thank you, Gray. I may not have acted like it at first, but I'm really glad you came." He paused for a moment, his bangs hid his eyes but Lucy could tell from his posture that he was about to say something serious.

"I meant what I said, you know. I don't think he appreciates you enough and you are too good for him." He took a deep breath. "It may be too late and really bad timing, but I like you a lot, Lucy. If things work out with flame-brain, I promise that I'll try to be happy for you. If things don't work out and you need to be alone for a while, I understand. But if you can, maybe you could give me… give _us_ a chance. I swear that I would never make you cry like that again, not if I could help it. I would never regret being with you because I think you're perfect for me."

All she could do was sit there on the couch in shock as he opened her front door. Lucy heard him tell the girls that she still probably needed to talk before walking past them. Her mind registered that Mira, Erza, Cana, Lisanna, Levy and Wendy were all in her apartment now and asking her if she was okay; but she couldn't answer. She was solely focused on what Gray had told her before he left.

_Gray just confessed to me and I'm still technically Natsu's girlfriend… oh crap! This could get complicated._

It took a little effort, but the girls finally snapped Lucy out of her stupor and got her talking about what had happened between her and Natsu. Erza and Mira made it clear that they were still very mad at the fire dragon slayer and believed that he deserved punishment. Cana simply said that all men were idiots. Levy offered to have Gajeel beat him up, apparently more than a few of the men in the guild had volunteered to do that after she had left. Lisanna and Wendy were both saying how they were disappointed in him but they knew he didn't mean what he said.

The group seemed torn about whether or not Lucy should forgive Natsu. The debate became even more heated when she told them about what had happened when he had come by her apartment earlier. Cana was rolling on the floor when she heard about the water to the face. Mira and Erza became even madder when they heard what he had said to her.

"The question still remains, will you forgive him or will you end it?" Levy asked with sympathetic eyes.

"I don't know. I said that I would talk to him tomorrow and that's what I intent to do. For all I know, He'll apologize and admit he was wrong for what he said. But… it's hard not to think of him saying how he regrets me being his partner and his girlfriend."

"Well, I don't regret it at all," Wendy told her.

"I agree," Erza smiled at her. "If Natsu meant it, then it's more proof that he needs some sense knocked into him. Gray, Wendy and I all love having you as our teammate."

A blush came over her; the red head's words reminded her of the partner that had just left. _Gray definitely likes me, but he wants me as more than just a teammate._

"Why are you blushing, Lucy?" Lisanna asked her.

She didn't say anything.

Mira seemed to study her the closest, it made her feel exposed. Lucy knew she was in trouble when Mira got that demonic glint in her eyes. "Lucy, did anything happen between you and Gray before we got here?"

All eyes locked on her and she felt her face get hotter. A barrage of questions flew at her and it took a few minutes for everyone to quiet down again. "It's not what you think! He came over to cheer me up and keep me company until all of you could get here. We ate ice cream and talked but then… right before he left, he… he confessed to me."

Lucy covered her ears as all the girls squealed; everyone but Erza that is, she just sat there in shock. What struck her as odd was everyone's reaction. She had expected them to be mad, but they seemed excited, even a little relieved.

"I knew he had a crush on you!" Mira cheered with hearts in her eyes.

"So the plot thickens! Do you stay in your current relationship or take the risk and go for the new love? It's like out of a book!" Levy said with excitement.

"I really don't know," Lucy said as her head dropped into her hands. "I care about Natsu but I care about Gray too."

"I'd say 'date them both' but I don't think you could handle that," Cana laughed.

Lucy noticed Mira's demon-match-maker look and got worried. She just knew that whatever came out of the take-over mage's mouth next would be total genius, totally scary, embarrassing, or a combination of the three.

"I say we let Natsu decide." Everyone stared dumbly at the woman, she shrugged in response. "Well, you said you were planning to talk to him tomorrow, so I have a plan that we can use in case he screws up his apology. This plan will punish him the way he deserves, make it clear that the two of you are broken up _and_ will let Gray know that you like him too!"

"B-b-but I never s-said that I wanted to date Gray…"

"Oh, please," Cana scoffed. "You should have seen your face a minute ago when you were talking about him, it was all dreamy."

"I'm too emotional about Natsu right now to start a new relationship. I don't want to turn Gray into a rebound," she argued. "Heck, that's only if things don't work out now, I shouldn't even think about being in a relationship with Gray when I'm still someone's girlfriend."

"We won't act on the plan if you don't want to," Mira said with a sweet smile that Lucy didn't really trust. "I'm just saying that we can have it prepared just in case."

Without listening to any more of Lucy's protests, Mira went over her plan with the group. She listened, but only because she knew Mira would go all she-demon on her if she tried to ignore them. She didn't want to admit it, it was a good plan. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to use it or not.

**The Next Day**

Lucy felt like an emotional wreck after everything that had happened the day before. Not only was she questioning her relationship with Natsu, but Gray's confession had left her wondering what it would be like to be with him. Then there was Mira's plan… it seemed a little cold and mean, but the girls had all agreed that it was what he deserved. She hoped they wouldn't go through with it.

When she pushed open the guild doors, she couldn't help but look for the people that would be part of the plan. Mira, Erza, Cana, Natsu and Gray were all there and accounted for. Gray looked right at her; though his expression didn't show much, his eyes spoke volumes. She had to look away from him for now; Natsu was walking up to her. _His_ expression was very easy to read, he was mad at her.

Even though the girls had told her not to apologize, her mouth was already forming the words. "I'm sorry about the water yesterday. I needed time to think and you being there wouldn't have helped."

His scowl faded into a grin as he scratched the back of his head. "It's okay, Luce. Now that I think about it, it was pretty funny."

She smiled back and waited for him to apologize as well… and waited. "Well?"

"Well, what?" He asked, looking confused.

"Aren't you going to apologize for what you said to me yesterday?"

"I already apologized, when I was outside you window," he told her.

"That was barely an apology, Natsu. What you said to me and how you embarrassed me in front of the entire guild goes beyond a simple 'I'm sorry, Luce.'"

His black eyes narrowed at her. "I don't see why I should, I was right."

Lucy's jaw clamped shut as she scowled at him. _ That… that… insensitive, rude, egotistical, pyromaniac! You know what, screw it! You deserve this Natsu!_

She plastered a sweet smile on her face and took his hand in hers. "You know, the girls and I set up a surprise for you."

"Really? Thanks, Luce!"

Using the grip on his hand, she walked him over to the table where Erza was sitting and sat him down beside her. "Just sit right here and enjoy the show!" The red head heard what she said and turned to look at her. When their eyes met, she knew that the plan was in motion. Then Lucy turned to walk to the bar where Mira and Cana were watching her. "Let's do it, Natsu and Erza are already in place," she whispered, knowing that the fire dragon slayer might over hear them.

Cana grinned as she picked up her barrel of beer and moved to go sit beside Gray. Mira grabbed the microphone and a music lakrama before walking up onto the stage.

"Hey, everyone," Mira spoke into the microphone to get the guild's attention. "I have a special treat for you today! Lucy is going to sing for us!"

Lucy listened to everyone cheer as she walked up on stage and took the microphone from Mira. When she looked out over the guild she saw Gray stand up like he was going to leave, but Cana forced him to sit back down. Erza nodded to her, ready to keep Natsu in his seat as well. She turned to Mira and gave her a nod; the take-over mage gave her a she-devil grin as she started the rock song

_According to you; I'm stupid, I'm useless,_

_I can't do anything right._

_According to you; I'm difficult, hard to please,_

_Forever changing my mind._

_I'm a mess in a dress, can't show up on time_

_Even if it would save my life._

_According to you, according to you._

_But according to him; I'm beautiful, incredible_

_He can't get me out of his head._

_According to him; I'm funny irresistible_

_Everything he ever wanted._

_Everything is opposite; I don't feel like stopping it._

_Baby, tell me what I have to lose?_

_He's into me for everything I'm not, according to you._

Lucy looked at Natsu, his face had gone pale and Erza had a hand on his shoulder to hold him in place. She knew that panicked I'm-in-trouble look in an instant. When she looked over at Cana and Gray, he looked confused while she looked like she was trying not to laugh her head off.

_According to you; I'm boring, I'm moody,_

_And you can't take me any place._

_According to you; I suck at telling jokes,_

_Cause I always give it away._

_I'm the girl with the worst attention span_

_You're the boy who puts up with that_

_According to you, according to you._

_But according to him; I'm beautiful, incredible_

_He can't get me out of his head._

_According to him; I'm funny irresistible_

_Everything he ever wanted_

_Everything is opposite; I don't feel like stopping it._

_Baby, tell me what I have to lose?_

_He's into me for everything I'm not, according to you._

_I need to feel appreciated, like I'm not hated_

_Oh no, why can't you see me through his eyes?_

_It's too bad you're making me decide._

The guitar riff started and Gray was staring at her in wonder. It was like he understood that the first part of the song was about Natsu but was hoping that the second part was about him.

Natsu, on the other hand, was red in the face. He tried to get up but Erza forced him back down and glared at him. Even from a distance, she could see him shaking with fear. When he looked back to the stage, Lucy pinned him in place with her eyes.

_But according to me; you're stupid, you're useless,_

_You can't do anything right._

She looked back at Gray and smiled at him.

_But according to him; I'm beautiful, incredible_

_He can't get me out of his head._

_According to him; I'm funny irresistible_

_Everything he ever wanted_

_Everything is opposite; I don't feel like stopping it._

_Baby, tell me what I have to lose?_

_He's into me for everything I'm not, according to you._

_Oh yeah, according to you, oh yeah!_

_According to you; I'm stupid, I'm useless,_

_I can't do anything right._

The entire guild clapped and cheered as the song ended and Lucy looked from one boy to the other. "That song was dedicated to two people: my **ex**-boyfriend and someone very special to me." She looked directly at Gray and blushed. "It may be too late and really bad timing, but I'd like to give us a chance."

His eyes went wide as a blush colored his cheeks. _Crap, don't tell me that I embarrassed him and he's changed his mind!_ She thought in a panic. That worry went out the window as Gray smiled at her and got off his chair to walk to the stage. All she could do was stand there and blush as he jumped on the stage and wrapped his arms around her.

"Gray, your clothes," she laughed as she hugged him back. He had stripped down to his boxers on the way to the stage.

He held her tighter. "Don't care right now."

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY GIRLFRIEND, YOU STRI…" *clang*

They looked over in time to see Natsu collapse to the floor. There was a huge bump forming on his head where Erza had hit him. The red head was glaring down at his unconscious form. "You have already ruined your relationship with Lucy; I will not allow you to hurt her more by interrupting her relationship with Gray."

The entire guild cheered. Lisanna hurried over to check on the unconscious dragon slayer. Gray chuckled as he continued to hold Lucy. "How about the two of us go on a mission? That way we can get away from fire-breath and get your rent paid."

"Sounds good to me!" Gray went to find his clothes while Lucy went to grab a job from the board. But before she could, Mira shoved a mission paper into her hands that was already stamped and gave her a wink. The two of them left the guild to go to Lucy's apartment so she could pack. He watched her from the bed; whenever she looked at him, there was a warm smile on his face.

When she was looking for a book to bring along, Gray came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She smiled and rested her hands over his. Being this close to him may have been new, but it felt natural.

"I promise that I'll do whatever I can to make you happy," he whispered in her ear. His cold breath coupled with the low rumble of his voice sent a chill down her spine.

"Just promise me that you won't let me turn you into a rebound. I'm still mad at Natsu and probably will be for a while, but…"

"I'm not worried about that," he told her quickly. "You've always been the type of person that when you make up your mind to do something, you follow through with it."

"But I do see two problems with us being together, and their names are Natsu and Juvia," she said, a little worried about what the water mage would do to her when she discovered that her "love-rival" had swooped in and stolen Gray from her.

"Flame-brain will learn to deal and I'll be the one to tell Juvia. I have a feeling that if you tell her, she'll trap you in her Water Lock and chuck you into the ocean."

She groaned as she leaned into him. "Don't say that. Now I'm going to be all worried about…" Her words were cut short as Gray took her chin in his fingers, turned her towards him and silenced her with a kiss. His cool lips were firm on hers but coaxing. She turned in his arms so that she was facing him and wrapped her arms around his neck. His hand tangled in her hair to angle her head better as he licked her lower lip, asking for entrance. Not wanting to deny him, she sighed and opened her mouth to let him in. His mouth tasted like mint and man, and she loved it.

When she started massaging his tongue with hers, he shivered and moaned into her mouth. His reactions to their kiss made her want to smile. Natsu had never reacted like this to her and it had always left her feeling inadequate. Gray was kissing her like she was the best thing he'd ever tasted. She felt a thrill go through her at that thought. When they finally parted, Lucy couldn't help but smile at him. _This might be awkward start to a relationship, but I think I made the right decision._

**The End**

**A/N: This song popped into my head the other day and it seemed like the perfect Graylu story. I tried to make Natsu's reactions as natural as possible, but he may have still come across a little OOC. Oh well, this was a story I just had to write it! Hope you all liked it! Please review!**


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